Valerie McPhail
MSMU Class of 2015

(6/2019) Without a doubt Men’s Fashion Week New York is different from anywhere else in the world. Unlike the catwalks in London and presentations in Pitti Uomo, its sense of style breeds a crowd of fashion vets and skater boys, but the unmistakable pace of fashion is also different. Indeed, the speed to which fashion is presented and received at the shows feels fleeting, and that effect is signature to the industry. However, the men’s fashion scene in New York manages to create its own time. In a short four-day week of runway shows, presentations and appointments, designers, brands and fashion week producers create an idealistic goal of fashion, and create something that is its own magic, without trying to be anything but its own.

In a world consumed by brand aesthetic and vibes posted on Instagram it becomes a challenge to create something unique without jumping on the trend bandwagon or presenting a product that is too niche and unrelatable to the consumer. Neither of these issues pertains to the men’s fashion industry in New York, as it does bug the larger fashion scene ruled by February and September schedules in the city. New York Fashion Week: Men’s, will kick off the Men’s Fashion Week Season by starting the season on May 31st, rather than showing in early July as it has habitually been planned for the past four years. First launching in 2015, NYFW: Men’s was the CFDA’s response to seeing a cultural spike of interest and revenue in menswear that year; the Council scheduled big fashion names such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Polo Ralph Lauren. In a report on the initial launch, Fortune Magazine stated, before NYFW: Men’s, "designers incorporated the [menswear] lines into women’s fashion week, where the collections got lost in the shuffle." The powerhouse lineup has since become a selection of brands without widespread commercial fame as the initial headlines, but rather smaller scale labels of cult followings and distribution in boutique stores and possibly Barney’s, but that may be too mainstream.

A late schedule release, sharing only four dates — May 31st to June 5th — on the calendar dedicated to NYFW: Men’s this year has shaken the industry into feelings that the men’s industry is not promising, nonetheless the same as it was when it first launched. Despite skepticism, there is light for the scheduled group as the CFDA continues to feature support. A small studio space just a block away from the Westside Highway, and north of Spring Studios and Skylight Clarkson, Industria Studios proved an intimate and social space for fashion crowds to gather, for individual shows to take the stage, and yet large enough for presentations to show simultaneously. There is space for inevitable change and creative pursuit. Both should engage a fashion crowd. Nick Wooster could be casually spotted comfortably catching up with a colleague, near the entrance of the venue; the sight appeared relaxed in a typically on-edge culture normally running out of time by the minute. The atmosphere was unquestionably fashion — high energy, dramatic fashion statements and a slight aura of impatience, just without the rush of leaving the shows and onto the next. Culture is cultivated here. The atmosphere is far more sustainable. For debatable better or for worse, the Men’s fashion Week Season begins in New York this summer. Just after three years of programming shows such as Linder, Monse and NIHL on the calendar this year, the spirit of fashion will sustain by creative voice and pursuit of the underdog. For it always puts on a good show.

A roster of runway shows, presentations and private appointments will keep the menswear industry a quiet appearance in writing, but mistaken will be those who miss the impact designers such as NIHL, Jeffery Dodd, Victor Glemaud and Linder have on men’s fashion and the direction of the global industry. A number of the designers, including Dodd and Glemaud have built their fashion presence through women’s fashion — Dodd for power suits and Glemaud know for his soft and colorful cashmere sweaters are leveraging their fashion voice in the direction of another audience. In the event the industry is receiving more effeminate styles in men’s fashion option. Last season, NIHL released a collection of everyday fashion from a lens on a boxing uniform. Imagine tight leotards, exposed skin and a whole new consideration to menswear. The designer behind the brand, Neil Patrick Grotzinger terms the perspective as " Masculine Effeminacy." This design theory is a start to a new wave of fashion looks and styles established in menswear.

Runway Show:

A classic way to present a clothing collection, a fashion show is rigid in style for the show is linear: models walk out onto the catwalk to show collections, piece by piece as guests are typically seated on surrounding benches. When it’s time for the show to start, typically twenty minutes later than the show time sent via invite, the lights dim, spot light breaks, music booms and phones light up the room for the benefit of social media content before the moment soon passes.

Presentation:

Presentations are a social environment. This hour long show provides an opportunity for guests to experience clothing, as models stand on platforms wearing a styled outfit from the collection. Although at times it can be paired with a show, a runway and then end with a lineup of looks, a presentations gives time for fashion. It also treats fashion as art, for guests are invited to gaze at the presentation, as one would approach a piece of artwork in a museum. Presentations allow collections to become available, on view.

Appointment:

The most intimate way to experience a collection is through an appointment. Available on view either in store or in the designer’s showroom, a sales rep or the designer himself or herself will walk you through the collection, while you can touch, feel and have an overall personal encounter with the collection. A "by appointment only" makes the collection exclusive, especially if the only way to see the collection is by appointment, rather than a re-see, a term that defines a re-visit of the collection after the initial release of a collection on the runway.